


Lost Cause

by orphan_account



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angry Steve, Bucky Barnes Recovering, Depressed!Steve Rogers, F/M, HYDRA comes back, Hurt Bucky, Hurt Bucky Barnes, M/M, Maria Hill as the new Director of SHIELD, Multi, Rescuing Bucky Barnes, SHIELD recovery, Seriously hurt BUcky, Tony Stark and Steve Rogers conflict, dangerous steve
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-27
Updated: 2014-12-27
Packaged: 2018-03-03 20:57:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2887652
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After searching, and searching, and searching for Bucky Barnes after the helicraft incident and still finding nothing, Steve loses hope on finding his best friend ever again.</p><p>Well, until S.H.E.I.L.D finds the last HYDRA base. </p><p>And maybe...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lost Cause

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first ever attempt at writing fanfiction and publishing, so leave any constructive criticism as you please! Enjoy! :-)

Finding Bucky was a lost cause.

Steve hated to admit it, because Bucky was his best friend, no matter what happened between them, but there wasn’t really a point in looking for him anymore. It had almost been a year since Steve fought him on that helicraft, since he fell and someone saved him, and they’ve found absolutely nothing. ‘They’ve’ includes Sam, who despite knowing there was no way they were going to find him as soon as they finished searching every inch of D.C and got nothing in return, kept his mouth shut on the matter. He provides as much emotional support as he can, and that’s a whole lot. He tagged along when Steve traveled to Brooklyn, because maybe, just maybe, Bucky remembered being there at one point in his long life, or that’s what Steve thinks, at least. He followed Steve through the entirety of an abandoned HYDRA base S.H.I.E.L.D discovered when those files where let out to the public, searching for the man who tried to kill him as if they had been close friends. It could get difficult for Sam to stay patient sometimes, especially with how stubborn Steve Rogers really is, but he still managed to stick around. Besides, hanging out with Captain America is kind of awesome. If the soldiers back at the Air Force bases heard about what Wilson got up to these days… 

Anyways. Steve’s hopelessness has got to the point where he stopped looking. He convinced himself that his best friend was dead, or truly did not want to be found, when way deep down inside he knew that it wasn’t true. He stayed in his apartment back in D.C, staring at the spots in the living room wall where bullet holes once were, now covered again, the wall looking like nothing had ever happened in the first place. He never thinks about who had put them there in the first place. The days he doesn’t go out on morning runs are the days Sam stops by. It happened so often it sort of became a routine. All of it just went to show how depressed Steve was, and how worried Sam was started to get about it. The signs were fairly obvious. The way Steve always looked so disinterested, how he would mindlessly shrug when Sam asked if he wanted to go out to lunch with him, the ‘I’m fine, really.’ and ‘I dunno, Sam.’ became regular phrases he would use almost every day. Steve acted a little more lively when Natasha swung by (which wasn’t much, seeing as she was a very busy woman), but it wasn’t much of a shocking change. She noticed how disconnected Steve was now, too. They couldn’t blame him, either. All of a sudden his best friend reappears after over seventy years of being ‘dead’ and tries to kill him? Anyone would be depressed over that. Neither of them speak up about what happened in those events, or anything having to due with Bucky Barnes. No one really does.

Until one day, someone did. And that someone just so happened to be Tony Stark. He would call up these ‘reunions’ at his tower in New York every so often, and Steve went every time, despite him and Stark butting heads and ending up in an argument every time. They were his friends, after all, and he liked them (even if one of them particularly got on his nerves). Sometimes they made him laugh, and even he was knew that he needed that lately. A whole lot of bad things had happened in the past year, and even he knew it was affecting him. He needed their positivity. These meetings usually involved mission talk, drinking, and if the ones who could get drunk got drunk enough, deep stories about their past. Most stories were tear-jerkers and how they got to be who they were, most of the time involving serious daddy issues. After S.H.I.E.L.D went down, though, Steve never talked about his past, usually just shaking his head in rejection to speaking. It was nothing personal, it was just that the past involved Bucky, and thinking about him made Steve feel worse than anything. The good thing was that others didn’t mind, and just moved on to the next willing person who would tell a good story. This time around, though, things didn’t run so smoothly. Apparently someone did mind him not participating. When Steve shook his head, Tony spoke up. “C’mon, Cap. Don’t spoil the fun just ‘cause you’re still all mopey and pathetic about Blinkey, or Becky or whatever his name was.” he grinned, acting as if Bucky was some sort of joke or something. Everything was a joke to him. No one found it funny, and the situation suddenly becomes much more tense and very quiet. Natasha swallowed the last of her red wine down in one gulp, fully expectant of the argument ahead. This happened quite a lot. Steve’s gaze visibly hardened into a cold glare, and Bruce shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Everyone knows to leave that certain topic alone, even Thor, who usually had no filter on this kind of stuff. Maria watched Steve cautiously, but Tony only seemed to be getting satisfaction out of his reaction, and he wore a pretentious smirk. Their relationship was a ticking time bomb. Tony could say just one little sarcastic or rude statement and Steve could snap. It had almost happened once. Would this be the one that finally caused a huge fight?

“His name is Bucky, and now I’m glad I didn’t say anything about him, ‘cause you have no sense of respect.” Steve snapped in reply, his voice showing a sense of bitterness no one had heard before. In previous arguments of theirs, his voice was firm and confident, somewhat intimidating, but never like this. Now he sounded just plain mean, and that made the insult all the more hard hitting. Everyone seemed a bit taken aback by it, even Tony. Now they all really knew to leave that topic alone. In a quick second flat, Steve was on his feet and headed towards the elevator door. Pepper watched him worriedly, hating having to apologize for Tony but really wanting to at this point. Wasn’t it a bad thing if you had to apologize for the things your partner did? Maria was the one to chase after him, catching the elevator door right before it closed. The others started to chat again, but it was a little awkward and forced. Maria shot Steve a look that read ‘Seriously?’ Sure, it was probably a risk to be in a small space with him, especially with the obvious anger he was showing and what she had seen of what the guy could do to a punching bag, but she didn’t care. Apparently Steve didn’t either. “I’m not going to apologize for what I said.” he said coldly without any context, staring at the wall with a resolute glare. 

“That’s not why I followed you, Captain.” Immediately Steve’s interest was sparked, but he didn’t turn to look at her. Not yet. “There’s been a development. One I think you would be interested in.” she explained cooly, pressing the numbered button not to Steve’s floor (yes, he had his own floor, all going to show how invested Tony was in this ‘Avengers’ thing), but the conference room that was usually used for the Avenger’s meetings. Steve didn’t protest, but turned to Maria and curiously raised an eyebrow. The indignant face faded, leaving the Steve Rogers people knew. The one who no matter how angry or emotionally compromised he was, would never hurt anyone who didn’t do something to deserve it. Maria seemed to relax, leaning on the side of the metal elevator wall and crossing her arms. Even Steve, who was normally no so good at reading people (he left that to Nat), recognized her seriousness. “I called this meeting, not Stark. S.H.I.E.L.D may not be fully up and running again, but HYDRA is. Yesterday some of S.H.I.E.L.D’s leftover scouts stumbled upon a base during rundown. We’re still trying to find out if it’s their headquarters, but we definitely know it’s theirs. It would make sense, seeing as it’s fairly large and very well hidden. It’s extremely protected, turrets, guards, the whole shebang. Which is why I called all of you up here. It’s not going to be a walk in the park getting inside and shutting it down, but it has to be done, and S.H.I.E.L.D doesn’t have the agents to spare if it’s as dangerous at it looks. We can’t have HYDRA hiding in S.H.I.E.L.D’s system anymore. Which is why I need you and Stark to cooperate instead of arguing like five year olds. Seriously, Rogers, you know he says that kind of stuff to bother you, and by getting angry you’re only handing him the satisfaction.” she explained, meeting his eyes as they spoke. She needed all of their cooperation. If this base was truly the last remaining evidence of HYDRA, S.H.I.E.L.D needed to get rid of it. Even if that meant calling up the Avengers to do so. Better to go all out than not have enough, right? Maria sure hoped so.

“You’re right, Director.” Steve eventually replied, but it was obvious he was lost in his own thoughts. There was only one thought on his mind, though, and that was the likely chance of finding Bucky at that last HYDRA base. The question was, was that a good thing, or a bad thing? For now, Steve saw it as good. But he didn’t know how wrong he would be.

**Author's Note:**

> If you would like more please leave a kudos! I'm unsure whether to continue, and your ratings would be much appreciated.


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